Cairo in Alexander County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Cairo Public Library

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), May 30, 2020

1. The Cairo Public Library Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Safford Memorial
Building
1883
Placed on the
National Register
of
Historic Places

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 37° 0.192′ N, 89° 10.423′ W. Marker is in Cairo, Illinois, in Alexander County. Marker is at the intersection of Washington Avenue (U.S. 51) and 16th Street, on the right when traveling south on Washington Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1609 Washington Ave, Cairo IL 62914, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mary J. Safford (a few steps from this marker); President Clinton Visits Cairo, Illinois (a few steps from this marker); The Historic First Presbyterian Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); York the Slave (about 500 feet away); Seaman (about 500 feet away); The Cairo Custom House (about 500 feet away); Duncan Cannon (about 600 feet away); African American Troops in the Civil War (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cairo.

Regarding The Cairo Public Library.

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Anna Eliza Safford, widow of A.B. Safford, built the library in her husband's memory and presented it to Cairo citizens on July 19, 1884. Designed by William & Wilcox of Chicago and St. Paul, Minn., the red brick Queen Anne building was constructed by Lancaster and Rice Manufacturing Company of St. Louis.

Also see . . . Cairo Public Library History. Library website entry:
The library has more than just books: A round oak table used by patrons originally was a gambling table on a steamboat. It has a plugged hole on top where the dealer raked chips and money into a locked drawer. (Cairo Public Library) (Submitted on April 1, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), May 30, 2020

2. The Cairo Public Library Marker

Cairo Historic District image. Click for more information.

via NPS, 1977

3. Cairo Historic District

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
Click for more information.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 146 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 1, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on April 2, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.